Minnesota Twins Payroll In 2013 And Contracts Going Forward

Mauer is the highest paid player on the Twins gathering $23,000,000 every year through the 2018 season. He is the face of the Twins. He is going to be dangerous if he can continue to hit like he did in 2012. Only trailing Pujols in Lifetime Average amongst Active Hitters (.325 to .323), Mauer should take over this Category relatively soon.

In 2012, the Minnesota Twins had a very below average season, disappointing many Twins fans. Coming off an atrocious 2011, they were looking for a good season ahead of them. Who could blame the fans, right? They had some key players coming back after an injury stricken summer in 2011. They were coming back healthy and nothing could stop the Twins from returning to the playoffs. But all was not well as they only had 3 more Wins than in 2011. It’s not like their payroll was even that small either. They were in the middle of the pack with a $94,085,000 payroll. That’s only slightly less than the White Sox and the LA Dodgers, both very close to playing in October.

This year, it appears the Twins payroll has actually dropped. Right now, their 2013 payroll is $73,050,000, considerably less than 2012. Mauer is really their only superstar on the Twins, with Morneau close behind him. On the mound, Carl Pavano just got hurt slipping on his driveway while shoveling snow so he won’t be ready for at least the start of the season, probably longer. Glen Perkins can be used as a starter when needed or be taken out of the bullpen so he’s a solid player to have in the Twins’ pitching repertoire. They also received Vance Worley from Philadelphia recently and if he can pitch like he did in 2011, he is going to be a man the Twins fall in love with. So with all of these solid players on the Twins, let’s take a look at the Twins 2013 payroll.

Joe Mauer had a great comeback season in 2012 – hitting for a 3 Slash Line of .319/.416/.861 after hitting just .287/.360.729 the year before. He needs his battering mate Justin Morneau to return to his MVP status if the club wants to compete with the AL powerhouse teams.

Signed Players:

Joe Mauer: C/1B. Joe Mauer has already proven himself to be the face of the Minnesota Twins. He is signed to an 8 yr/$184,000,000 contract that is set to expire in 2018. He is by far the highest paid player on the Twins raking in $23,000,000 in 2013. In 2011, Mauer’s season was cut to 82 games from an injury. But, in 2012 he was healthy and played in 147 games – hitting a whopping .319. If he could continue to hit like this in upcoming years he is going to be a very dangerous player in Minnesota.

Justin Morneau: 1B. Morneau has shown in the past he can get the job done at the bat. His career high BA is .321 in 2006 but also posted a .345 in 2010 through only 82 games. He is going in to the last year of his contract and will be making $15,000,000 in 2013 – before Free Agency in 2014. This is going to prove to be an important season for Morneau if he wants to make a large sum of money.

Josh Willingham: LF. Willingham is set to make $7,000,000 in 2013 – in the middle of his 3 yr/$21,000,000 set to expire at the end of the 2014 season. He has never hit over .300 in a full season since his career began, but is still an excellent player in LF.

Willingham only hit .260 in 2012 The guy was still one of the best bargains – with 35 HRs (7th in AL), 110 RBI (3rd in AL) and an .890 OPS (8th in AL). Willingham’s numbers netted him a Silver Slugger Award. He will be hard pressed to duplicate those numbers in 2013. At

Nick Blackburn: SP. Blackburn was shaky in 2012 including being sent down to Rochester in August. During the offseason he underwent a surgery to remove a bone chip in his throwing elbow. He’s owed $5,500,000 in 2013 – and should be receiving his money because he is indeed back on track and should be ready for Spring Training as long as nothing slows him down. He is Arbitration Eligible in 2014 and a Free Agent in 2015

Kevin Correia: SP: Correia signed with Minnesota in December of 2012 for 2 yrs/$10,000,000 – and is guaranteed $5,500,000 in 2013. He’s pitched to identical 12-11 records in 2011 and 2012, with close ERAs. 4.79 in 2011 and 4.21 in 2012. Correia could be a good addition to the Twins’ roster for the 2013 and 2014 seasons for a low price.

Mike Pelfrey: SP. Pelfrey’s 2012 season was cut short in April when he underwent Tommy John surgery. He only accumulated 19.2 innings before the tear in the ulnar collateral ligament. The Twins signed him to a 1 yr/$4,000,000 contract in December. A good sign for the Twins if he can successfully return from the Tommy John surgery.

Jamey Carroll: 2B, SS. Carroll is set to receive $3,750,000 in 2013, the last year of his 2 year deal with the Twins. Carroll hit .268 in 2012 with the Twins with a .343 OBP. Those definitely aren’t spectacular stats, but ones that get the job done. Carroll would like to have a good year in 2013 so he could get some offers he likes next year during Free Agency. That motivation could be a good sign for the Twins if Carroll wants the career year bad enough. If Carroll can reach 401 Plate Appearances this year, he will have a 2 Million Dollar Player Option for 2014, otherwise the Twins will hold a Team Option for his services for that same 2 MIL – or a 200K Buyout.

Ryan Doumit: C. Doumit is going to be making $3.5 Million in both 2013 and 2014. Doumit can be used as a utility player as he can play RF and 1B along with his primary position catcher. He hopes to get back to his 2011 ways as he hit .303 in Pittsburgh but only .275 last year as a member of the Twins. He did set Career Highs in AB (484), HRs (18) and RBI (75). If he can back to his old average ways – than the Twins are not going to regret resigning him for a 2 year extension. Also with Justin Morneau on Joe Mauer rotating some 1B/DH duties between them, having a slugging catcher like Doumit to back up Mauer is invaluable.

Glen Perkins:SP, RP. Perkins is set to be making $2.5 Million. Having him as a starter and reliever is good for the Twins as they can put him in the rotation or use him out of the pen, whichever is more beneficial at the time. He posted a 2.56 ERA – last year which could definitely be improved on considering he only pitched 70.1 Innings. If he improves on the ERA this year he’ll be much used out of the bullpen again. Perkins signed a 4 YR/11.85 Million Dollar Deal prior to 2012. There is a team option in 2016 for 4.5 Million – or a 300 K Buyout.

Jared Burton: RP. This upcoming campaign Burton is set to be making $2,050,000. His 2012 summer was similar to Perkins’. His ERA was a low 2.18, but it could be improved on since he only hurled 62.0 Innings. The Twins are going to be using Burton out of the bullpen often and a season like last year will probably be considered a successful one by the Twins. He signed a 2 YR/5.45 Million Dollar Contract for 2013 and 2014, with a Team option for 3.6 Million Dollars in 2015 – or a 200K Buyout

Avoided Arbitration:

Brian Duensing: SP. 1.3 Million for 2013. Having just avoided Arbitration, Duensing will need to improve on his Career numbers of 28-31 (.475), with a 4.23 ERA – in order to roll in some big dough next year.

Drew Butera: C. Butera also avoided Arbitration by signing a 1 YR/700 K Deal. He will need to improve on his 3 Slash Line of .183/.232/.497 in 487 AB. These are pathetic numbers even for limited play by a back up Catcher.

Minimum Contracts and Entry Level Contracts:

Vance Worley: SP: (Arbitration Eligible in 2014 and a FA in 2018.)

Anthony Swarzak: SP/RP: (Arbitration Eligible in 2014 and a FA in 2018.)

Trevor Plouffe: 3B/OF (Arbitration Eligible in 2014, FA in 2018.)

Trevor Plouffe tore the cover off of the ball in the month of June by pasting 13 HRs and driving in 24 RBI. He is on an entry-level contract.

Scott Diamond: SP. (Arbitration Eligible in 2015 and a Free Agent in 2018) This Canadian went 7-3 with a 2.62 ERA in his 1st 12 starts of the 2012 campaign – before ending out the year at 12-9, with a 3.54 ERA.

Samuel Deduno: SP. (Arbitration Eligible in 2016 and a FA in 2019.)

Cole De Vries: SP. (Arbitration Eligible in 2016 and a FA in 2019.)

Chris Parmelee: 1B/RF.(Arbitration Eligible in 2016 and a FA in 2019.)

Although not everyone on Entry Level Contracts or Pre-Arbitration Eligible are mentioned here, the Twins total payroll for the 2013 season is between $80-85 Million. Matt Capps, RP, is the only player not on the team anymore the Twins are going to owe money. They will be paying him $250,000 as they bough out his contract. Capps is now a member of the Indians after he signed a minor league deal with the organization. Next year, the club will be able to sign some more Free Agents once Justin Morneau is off the payroll. Or at the very least, be able to sign him for a lot less.

Even if the Twins don’t have the highest payroll in 2013, they are sure to have a better season than the past two years. All they need to do is improve from last place but they want more in search of their first playoff berth since 2010. Ron Gardenhire certainly has his work cut out for him.

Morneau is a key star on the Twins. As long as he can stay healthy there is nothing standing in the way of Morneau raking in upcoming years.

(*The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com*)

Welcome to our newest Baseball Intern: Kyle Holland:

Kyle is a life long baseball fan outside of Boston. He is a sophomore in high school has played baseball since he was 5. Although growing up in one of the best baseball towns in the major leagues, he has been a Giants fan since 2009. He credits his aunt with the Giants being his favorite team as she lives in San Francisco. Some of his favorite players include Buster Posey, Stephen Drew, Trevor Bauer, Stephen Strasburg, and Minor leaguer Danny Hultzen. You can find Kyle on TwitterFollow @TheKHolland13

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